


Filthy Hitch

by DandyVela



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bad Humor, Based On The Movie What Happens In Vegas, Catra is still a cat, Disaster Lesbians, Except I Just Loved The Concept And Hasn't Seen The Movie In Ten Years, F/F, Fake Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, POV Alternating, Rivals to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:53:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28940259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DandyVela/pseuds/DandyVela
Summary: When Adora hits rock bottom, her friends think thatVegasis the answer - as if a spontaneous trip can make her forget the girl who dumped her right before she was about to propose. Turns out, thingscanalways get worse - especially when they involve meeting a beautiful and bratty stranger whose life is just as miserable.Rock bottom wasn’t rock bottom, after all.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 63
Kudos: 190





	Filthy Hitch

Adora jolts awake with a gasp, eyes springing open. The music she was listening and falling asleep to stops in her cheap earbuds; instead, she hears a creaking, monotone voice.

"-entlemen, as we start our descent, please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position. Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened, and all carry-on luggage is...”

"You okay?" A much softer voice asks on her right. Adora blinks slowly, turning her head.

“Maybe you gave her too many pills to pop,” another voice cuts in, just a touch judging.

“I didn’t! She’s fine. You’re fine, right?”

Does Adora feel fine? No. Does that have anything to do with the two pills of Xanax Glimmer pushed into her hand before their plane took off? Also no.

"Yeah," she manages to blurt out, flashing her friends a weak smile. It makes Glimmer grinning ear to ear, but Bow still quirks a brow.

"It's okay to not be okay," Bow says kindly, reaching across Glimmer's lap to squeeze Adora's hand.

Adora opens her mouth the same time the plane starts to descend, tugging her stomach up her throat. Adora bites her bottom lip, nails sinking into Bow's hand, making him hiss.

"I still don't get how you're a nervous flyer," Glimmer comments. "You love everything extreme with flying and heights."

"I love everything that doesn’t have me at the mercy of an aluminum can shooting through the sky," Adora mumbles through gritted teeth.

She feels Glimmer rolling her eyes rather than seeing it.

The plane hits the ground, Adora feeling the slam of the impact in her bones. She lets out the air stuck in her lungs and Bow's hand.

It’s finally over.

Glimmer chose the hotel.

Well, to be fair, her mother chose the hotel and paid for all three of them, so Adora has no reason to complain. It's tasteful but bougie, full of high ceilings with murals and golden frames, bright chandeliers, red plush carpets, and lots of greenery. It fits more into a Hollywood movie than the wild weekend Glimmer had promised Adora to help her forget her misery, but Adora likes this better. It's the same kind of discomfort she's already familiar with after hanging out in the ridiculous luxury Glimmer was growing up in, and which Adora became part of once they became inseparable at University. Nothing dirty or lewd - very much like the clubs and bars and casinos Adora knows Glimmer will  _ definitely _ try to drag her to.

Glimmer checks them in at the front desk, and Adora is quick to say once the three cards are laid out of them: “I’ll grab mine and start unpacking, okay?”

Glimmer peeks up from a brochure she’s nose-deep in while chatting with the employee, shooting Adora a quick glance.

“Sure, go ahead,” she says. “Bow and I are gonna get familiar with what kinds of clubs are around here, so you can get into Battle Planning mode.”

“Ha, thanks,” Adora breathes, gripping the handle of her carry-on luggage, “but I think I’m fine with hitting the hay early tonight. I’m feeling pretty tired.”

Everyone knows she’s lying, so Adora turns on her heels and drags her luggage towards the elevator, not looking her friends in the eye.

This week was...eventful, to say the least. Adora feels like she’s entered a bubble ripped from time and space, not quite lost, but aimlessly floating in the dark, her feet unable to find solid ground. Everyone says it’s okay; everyone says it’s normal that she needs a break, that she’s just burnt out. That it's going to pass even if she feels like everything she’s ever worked for has turned to dust, falling from between her fingers like grinds of sand.

This is not even floating. It’s  _ drowning _ .

The elevator dings.

Adora pushes through the open doors, the rattling of the wheels of her luggage echoing through the narrow corridors.

She swipes the card, and once the dot turns green, opens the door with a push of her shoulder, nearly falling in.

Adora grumbles under her nose and looks up, hoping to take in the open space, but her gaze finds something -  _ someone _ \- more interesting to latch on to.

There's a woman inside her room, dressed in a fancy silk robe - hopefully not fully naked underneath - which lays open enough on her chest to show that she's braless. The curves of her breasts are barely hidden behind black lace. Adora can make out the shape of her thighs as the woman halts in her step, noticing Adora for the first time, too. Her tail lashes behind her, sweeping the fancy floor, fluffy ears twitching at the sound of Adora arriving.

There's a breath of silence where they just stare at each other before Adora jolts out of her shock.

She whips her head to the side, almost yelling:

"Hello! Hi. I'm, uh- I'm sorry." She licks her lips, trying to find the right words, and connect her mouth to her brain through the layers of Xanax-daze. "I'm sorry, I, uh. I  _ specifically _ told my friends no performances and no dancers, but uh, do they ever listen to me? Apparently not." Adora lets herself look for a moment, just a tiny little moment, her glance lingering on those gorgeous, fuzzy brown thighs. "You're- you look beautiful, don't get me wrong, and I truly appreciate it, but- but no, thank you. I'm sorry."

Adora hears the rustling of the silk robe, bare soles tapping on the floor as the woman approaches. She halts right before Adora, arms crossed in front of her chest.

Adora clears her throat, head still turned.

"Aww, that's a shame," the woman purrs. Her voice is sultry and raspy with a hint of sweetness; Adora can imagine that voice coming from behind a thick curtain of smoke in the back of a fancy bar, eyes and teeth shining bright in the dim lights.

"I'm- I'm sorry," Adora says again, although she isn't sure what she's apologizing for.

It makes the woman giggle, at least - which is the cutest little laugh Adora has ever heard, so Adora forces herself to look her in the eye.

_ Wow, her eyes- _

"No worries, hotshot." She pouts a little bit, pointing down with a black claw. "But you do know that canceling costs a hundred bucks, right?"

"I- what?" Adora blinks.

The woman shrugs. "Your friends chose the best." 

"Okay, okay."

Adora doesn't wait for Glimmer - since she is a guest here and doesn't have to pay for anything this weekend, it only seems fair that if Adora refuses the surprise, it's up to her to compensate.

Adora rakes her wallet out of her backpack, taking out a crumpled bill. She pushes it into the woman's open hand.

"Thanks so much," the woman says, slipping the bill into the pocket of her robe.

Just then, another woman bursts out from the room on Adora's right, yelling joyfully:

"Have you seen the view from the bathroom? The lights at night are gonna be so incre- oh!"

God, how many girls did Glimmer hire?

The newcomer raises a heavy pincer, waving excitedly.

"Hi, there! I didn't know you invited new friends over, Wildcat."

_ Wait, what? _

The first woman tilts her hips, a sadistic smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"I didn't. This weirdo came to the wrong room."

"Hey, this is  _ my _ room!" Adora finally finds her voice, anger bubbling up her stomach. She flings her card in front of the woman's face. "My key opened the door, okay? And I want my money back!"

"What money?"

"Yeah, hotshot. What are you accusing me of after  _ you _ broke into our hotel room? I should report that at the reception, you know."

"I didn't break in anywhere, and you just stole a hundred bucks from me!"

Before someone could reply, Glimmer's head pops up in the creak of the front door.

"Adora? Who are you yelling at?"

Bow opens the door wider to let both of them step inside. Now it's getting a little crowded; Adora is forced to take a hesitant step closer to the woman with the beautiful mismatched eyes and horrible manners.

Shit. She smells so good, too. What does she use? Lemongrass?

_ Focus, Adora _ .

"Who are you?" Glimmer asks, her voice high. "What are you doing in our room?"

The woman growls, letting her arms unfold and fall.

"For the last fucking time, this is our room. We've been here since this morning. Your friend has probably got the wrong card so take it back to the reception and leave us alone."

"This must be a simple misunderstanding," Bow chines in, raising his hands. "We'll try our cards, check the room number on the booking info, and go back to the reception together."

"Sounds like a plan!" Scorpia agrees, making the woman turn towards her and hiss.

"Really?"

"Come on, Catra. This nice young man is right; it's probably just a funny little misunderstanding! Something exciting is already happening on this trip. Let’s unfold this mystery as a team."

_ “Exciting. Mystery.” _

"A team," Bow sighs, sliding a palm on his chest. "I love that. We're already bonding over this."

The woman -  _ Catra _ \- and Glimmer grunt as one, then share a piercing glare.

"Fine," Catra says, taking a deep breath. She shoots a mischievous look towards Adora, raising a perfectly arched brow. "Go ahead. I should put something on to avoid further… _funny_ _little misunderstandings_."

She turns on her heel and disappears behind another door, slamming it behind herself loudly.

"I still want my money back!" Adora yells after her, letting Glimmer grab her wrist and drag her outside the hotel room.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

God, Adora wants to choke her.

In more ways than one.

Adora doesn't find the strength to deal with the room misery for more than five minutes, so she plops down onto a soft, fluffy armchair by the reception desk. She throws her arms over the armrest and spreads her knees, exhaling through her nose very, very slowly.

"Hey, Adora."

Oh, great. The headache in the form of a beautiful woman is back.

Adora glares up at Catra as she takes a seat in an armchair next to Adora's. Catra leans back comfortably, resting her ankle on her knee and her cheek in her palm.

She points towards the reception with her chin and says:

"Looks like our friends are also friends now."

Adora follows Catra's eyes. She's right; while they get the situation sorted out, they're also chatting with each other and laughing brightly.

"Yeah."

"I talked to Scorpia," Catra continues, drawing lazy little circles with her foot in the air. "It was a computer error, so the hotel is at fault. We're getting two of the biggest suites and a bunch of coupons to clubs nearby."

Adora isn't sure what Catra is getting at, so she waits silently.

Apparently, Catra doesn't like explaining herself. She bares her teeth, straightening her spine.

"I'm just  _ saying, _ " she grumbles, ears drooped, "we could start over, too. Let's use those coupons. I'll pay for your drinks."

"Let me guess, with  _ my _ money."

"Are you still hung up on that?" Catra scoffs. She takes the same cramped bill from the pocket of her ripped jeans, pinching it between her fingers and pointing towards Adora. "Here. Are we cool now?"

Adora takes the bill hesitantly. She can't help but grin at Catra, her voice coming out flirtier than she wanted:

"Do you scam every stranger you meet?"

Catra smirks back, squinting adorably.

"Just the hot ones.”

The air is stuck in Adora's lungs, her expression twists into a grimace.

“Shit,” Catra says, sounding gentle for the first time since Adora had met her. She puts more distance between them. “Sorry. I got a gay vibe from you, and you thought your friends got you a girl, so.”

“No, no,” Adora cuts in, chewing her bottom lip. “I mean, yeah, I’m gay. I’m  _ very _ gay. It’s just…”

“I’m not your type?” Catra suggests when Adora can’t bring herself to finish her sentence.

Adora shakes her head. Truth is,  _ technically _ , Catra is not her usual “type.” She’s tiny and petite, all sharp bones and soft curves; although, the thighs peeking out from the robe earlier, and the lines of her shoulders hint that she’s stronger than she looks at first glance, lean muscles hidden. Even now, those gorgeous thigh muscles push the rips on her jeans wider, and Adora is staring. She’s very much just staring right now and - fuck, what was the question?

“Guess it’s not that,” Catra says, clearly amused. She tilts her head to the side. “Should've known after you called me beautiful earlier."

“I said you  _ looked  _ beautiful,” Adora is quick to say.

“Oh yeah, right, that’s totally different.”

“Okay, look- the… the thing about my love life is that- uuh-”

Bow leans on the headrest of Adora’s chair out of nowhere and supplies helpfully:

“Adora was just dumped by the girl she wanted to propose to,  _ right  _ before she was gonna get down on one knee. She broke her heart, and we couldn’t even reach Adora for a week. We almost had to kick her door down, so we took her here for a couple days to help her get back on her feet.”

“Thank you, Bow,” Adora hisses, forcing a sweet undertone in her voice and a joyless smile on her face. “I definitely wanted this girl we’ve just met to know that.”

“I thought you were gonna tell her the truth!”

“Fuck. That’s really shitty,” Catra says. There’s no pity in her voice, which Adora is thankful for.

Catra rises from the armchair elegantly, her tail swaying from one side to the other. She holds out a hand for Adora to take.

“Come on. Now we  _ have to _ hang out and put those coupons to good use.”

Adora takes the offered hand - it’s soft and warm to the touch, just like she imagined.

“I was just gonna stay in the room and rest,” she tries weakly, the walls of her resistance already crumbling.

“ _ Lies _ ,” Glimmer joins in, followed by Scorpia, pincers full of the coupons Catra mentioned. “You were gonna wait until we leave you alone, get your laptop out, and work. Work! In Vegas!”

“Ridiculous,” Catra teases kindly. When Adora looks at her, trying to play offended, Catra squeezes her hand before letting her go. “There’s literally only one way to do this: drink until you forget her name, your name, try not to die the next day, repeat.”

“That sounds like the worst.”

Catra quirks a brow.

“Worse than doing work alone in a big ass hotel suite, on your days off, in Vegas, breaking down every five minutes about your ex while your friends are out partying all night with two hot girls?”

“We’re together,” Glimmer says quickly, pointing frantically between Bow and herself.

Catra doesn’t even look at her as she says, her focus still solely on Adora:

“Chill, Sparkles, I’m not interested in you.”

“And I have a girlfriend,” Scorpia chimes in proudly, her smile freezing as she peeks at Adora. “Ooh, shoot, sorry, that was insensitive.”

“Damn, Scorp. Too soon.”

“Actually, it happened two weeks ago. Wait, I’m doing it again.” Bow sounds like he’s two seconds away from crying. “I’m sorry, Adora.”

“Adora’s tough! She can take this. Right, Adora?”

“Alright, fine!” Adora pinches the skin between her eyes, mumbling incoherently. She takes a deep breath, looking around the group of people all staring at her. “If I agree to go with you tonight, will you stop talking about my love life?”

“Yes,” Bow and Glimmer say in unison.

Scorpia raises a pincer.

“Totally. You have my word.”

“Maybe.”

Scorpia pokes Catra between her ribs.

Catra hugs herself, raising her jaw. “Fine, yeah.”

“Let’s get to our suites and get ready!” Glimmer claps, raising her hands to her lips. “This is gonna be so fun! Meet us back here in an hour?”

“Sounds good to me,” Catra shrugs. She leaves to come ‘round Adora, twirling on her heel when she reaches her. She leans a bit closer to whisper into her ear: “Trust me, Princess. I’ll give you a night you’ll never forget.”

Adora turns to Catra subconsciously, wide eyes glued to the valley between Catra’s scapulas.

She swallows thickly.

Yeah, a drink sounds good.

_ One _ .

  
  


“Do I have to remind you guys that Catra scammed me and took my money?” Adora tries again while she is taking the elevator down with Bow and Glimmer. “Should we really go out with her and get drunk and defenseless? She’s  _ sneaky _ .”

Just like the first four times, Glimmer sighs exasperatedly, leaning back to the wall. Her sequin bolero shoots beams of rainbow light all across the elevator with every move she makes.

Bow scans his keycard and pushes the Lounge button on the panel. He asks:

“You mean the money you still have in your wallet?”

The doors close with a quiet hiss. 

“Because she  _ gave it back _ . After she  _ stole it _ .”

“Adora,” Glimmer warns, furrowing her brows.

“What? I’m telling the truth.“

“No, you’re making excuses.”

Adora scoffs, offended. She crosses her arms on her chest, shaking her ponytail back from her shoulder.

“Why would I do that?”

“Because you’d rather stay alone and feel miserable,” Glimmer says in the exact same time Bow goes:

“Because you’re afraid Catra actually likes you.”

“Ooh,” Glimmer coos. “Good one, babe.”

“She doesn’t like me,” Adora says firmly. 

Glimmer puckers her lips. “Eh, the jury’s still out.”

The elevator stops. The doors open again; Adora stays behind to let Glimmer and Bow step out first, using the time she has hidden from her friend’s eyes to check if Scorpia and Catra are already waiting for them in the hall.

Why the hell is she nervous?

“Would it really be so bad?” Bow still hasn’t given up. “Maybe that’s exactly what you need this weekend, a little distraction. Sure, she’s a little prickly, but she warmed up to you pretty quickly.”

Adora laughs. It sounds dry and just a touch frantic.

“I’m sorry, has anybody heard the part about her taking my money?”

“I have,” Catra’s voice cuts through the air.

Adora stumbles on nothing, whipping her head back. Her shoulder hits Bow’s, who holds Adora’s arms and helps her straighten again.

Catra changed her outfit, unfortunately. Adora tries her hardest not to stare, taking everything in from her peripheral vision — the tiny shorts and ripped tights, the high-collar sleeveless top that clings to her body perfectly, leaving her arms and part of her chest exposed.

“Move on, Princess. It happened like two hours ago."

"Wait, that’s actually true?" Glimmer asks.

"Yeah. Your little friend here thought I was a stripper you hired."

Glimmer glares at Adora, then Catra, then back at Adora.

"Are you fucking kidding me."

"Okay, don't," Adora begs, glancing at Catra. "You, also don't."

"What? I'm not doing anything," Catra says with a crooked smile. "Can we just go already? I can show you what real strippers look li—"

Adora doesn't wait for Catra to finish. Impulsively, she grabs Catra's hand - just as warm as before, fitting into her palm so perfectly - and drags her ahead before something erupts between her and Glimmer that no one will be able to keep under control.

Catra laughs and traces her thumb along Adora’s knuckles. She picks up the pace until they're practically running out of the hotel, followed by Glimmer's shrieking "hey!" and the quick footsteps of their friends rushing after them.

Adora finds herself grinning, too.

Thursday night in Vegas is bright and wild; Adora can't even imagine what the city is like on weekends. Everywhere she looks, she sees swirling crowds of people, flashing lights of every color of the rainbow, laughter and excited yelling echoing from the tall buildings.

The crowd is a bit overwhelming, but Catra still holds her hand somehow, turning her head to talk to the others, following them above her shoulder. Adora lets them decide where to go and what to do - as much as she doesn't want to be here, she appreciates her friends trying to cheer her up, and their happiness makes it all worth it in the end.

For the first time in two weeks, Adora finds herself loosening up.

And so, the strangest night of her life starts, falling into fragments; none of them really connecting to one another, like they're parts of different angles of a kaleidoscope.

Somewhere down the line, Adora and Catra were left alone. Scorpia met another friend from high school who dragged her away for karaoke, and Bow found a drag show he wanted to check out, so Glimmer went with him.

"Salt, shot, lime."

"Got it."

"Ready?"

"I was born ready."

Adora wasn't born ready.

She follows the instructions anyway, licking salt off her hand, forcing the shot of tequila down her throat, and pushing the whole slice of lime into her mouth.

Catra shoots her a side glance - the sight of Adora's puffed up cheeks makes her choke and burst out laughing, spitting out her lime so far it bounces off the table.

"Ew," Adora mumbles with her mouth full, between snorts of giggles, the juice scraping down her throat.

"Just bite into it, dummy," Catra wheezes, drying her tears with the back of her hand. “Don’t eat the whole thing.”

"Oh, okay. Wait." Adora turns around to spit her own lime into her hand, meeting Catra's amused grin with confidence when she twirls back. Her whole mouth feels numb, her tongue barely working. "Okah, sho-"

Catra sucks her lips in, her mismatched eyes shining bright.

" _ So _ ."

"Mm. Try again?"

"Try again."

That's drink two.

"A'right, what if I can tell you something that makes my life just as shitty as yours," Catra says a little slurry.

Adora snorts, leaning back on her chair.

"Try me."

Adora and Catra started a drinking game. An exceptionally fun one, actually.

Catra smacks her lips, raising her brows.

"Mkay, get this - last week, I was  _ fired _ ."

"Ugh, I'm sorry."

"Wait, that's not the best part. The best part is," Catra leans her forehead into her hand, nails sinking into her wild curls, "my own mother fired me from the family business. The business I was gonna take over next year."

Adora hisses.

Catra gestures vividly.

"Right?!"

"Okay, just as shitty," Adora agrees, fidgeting in her seat. "You win. Where do you want it?"

Catra grins, sharp canines showing. She peeks up at Adora and grabs the salt, tilts her head, and shakes a handful of grinds onto her neck.

Adora swallows, dry.

"Do you give up?" Catra purrs, not moving from her position.

"You wish," Adora grumbles, pushing her seat closer.

The squeaking of the legs of the chair dragged on the floor is ear piercing, but still not the reason why a shiver runs through Adora's spine.

Adora feels that shake in her fingers as she slides the back of her hand under Catra's curls, smoothing them over her shoulder and out of the way. The warmth of Catra's skin is radiating, her scent mixed with the salt growing thicker as Adora leans in closer and closer.

When her breath burns along Catra's neck, Catra trembles, too.

Adora presses her lips to her skin, an open-mouthed kiss above the salt - Adora licks it off with Catra's perfume, bitter on her tongue, intoxicating and not nearly enough.

Adora closes her mouth, her lips lingering. She feels Catra's pulse, beating frantically, following the thrumming of Adora's heart.

Adora moves her lips lower; Catra's throat closes up, and she lets out a raspy gasp.

Adora draws back. She takes the shot with her head thrown back, knocking the glass down onto the table.

The warmth of the tequila drips down her throat, sinking lower and lower, pooling in her core and between her thighs.

She feels giddy.

Adora looks at Catra. Her cheeks are flushed, eyes dark; her pupils are so blown out Adora can barely see the flaring rims of blue and gold. The spot on her neck Adora licked seems to be glowing in the neon lights.

That's drink five.

"-and like, she wasn't even- she didn't even like horses!"

Catra gasps dramatically, clutching her neck.

"No!"

"Yeah! I mean, who - who doesn't, right? Like. Like she isn't even scared of 'em just straight up said - she said my steed was  _ rude _ ." Adora's voice grows shrill.

Catra starts giggling uncontrollably at that, her laughter contagious.

"Did it snort at her, or -"

"He bit her once," Adora confesses, tears pooling at the corners of her eyes from laughing.

"That's a good fucking horse."

"I know!"

"Ugh, fuck. I know what you mean. My mother, she uh, totally hates my cat. 'N my cat hates her, too. He scratched her whole face the first time they met, like, from cheek to jaw, lips. And I thought she couldn’t get any uglier."

"Oh my God, Catra."

"If you knew her, you'd agree," Catra says bitterly. Something shifts in the air for a moment, Adora feels Catra freezing up next to her.

Adora takes the neck of her beer in her hand, raising it towards Catra. Catra looks at her, eyebrows furrowed questioningly.

"To shitty bosses," Adora says, soft but a bit too loud.

Catra finally grins. She takes her own bottle, clinking it to Adora's.

"To bitchy exes."

That's drink seven.

Adora loses balance as she is swirled by Catra, her knees growing a little weak. Catra wraps her arms around her chest to help her stand, laughing sweetly over the music.

Adora's hands are in those soft curls, pulling just a bit, tilting her head back for their eyes to meet. Catra moves her hips, Adora following, their bodies flushed together tight. The rainbow beams of the strobes are flashing on Catra’s face, highlighting different features Adora's eyes latch to; beautiful long lashes, the seas of cute freckles, that adorable button nose that crinkles whenever she smiles, silky lips full and rosy-

Catra's hands clasp around her waist, guiding her movement, pushing her away before reeling back in, chest to chest, the tip of Catra's nose, and a couple loose curls grazing Adora's cheekbone. Adora gets a whip of her scent; smokey, salty, sweet, drawing Adora closer to the edge and the soft warmth of her embrace.

Fuck, Catra feels so good.

And from the way Catra looks at her now, Adora knows she said that out loud.

Why doesn't she care?

Adora is laughing so hard she's drooling. She doesn't even remember what Catra had said, but it doesn't matter.

Nothing really matters at this point. Everything got so blurry and so bright, and Adora’s stumbling down the street looking for their friends, a bottle of wine in one hand, Catra's hand in the other.

Their shoulders brush together, and Catra leans in, her forehead pressing to Adora's cheek. Adora feels something fluffy caressing her arm; Catra's tail trailing up, stroking feather-light.

Adora's body is burning hot.

"Catra, I-"

"Mm."

_ Fuck, is she purring? _

_ Fuck. _

_ Fuck- _

"I, uh, I. I meant it. Like. I did."

"What?"

"I'm not. You're pretty. You're so pretty, but I'm not. We're not doing this."

Catra draws back, and it feels wrong.

"I know," she whispers gently, her smile a little loopy but so, so lovely. "I know. It's fine." When Adora's painful grimace doesn't fade, she teases, a sharp nail poking Adora's sternum: "I'd never kiss a dork like you."

Adora snorts unattractively.

" _ I'd _ never kiss a brat like  _ you _ ."

Not even two minutes later, Adora has Catra pinned to a wall, kissing her breathless.

Shards of the bottle creaking under their feet, the soles of Adora's shoes sticking into the pouring wine.

That was gonna be drink ten.

*

Adora awakens like she was hit on the head with a brick, and groans desperately. She cracks an eye open, squinting in the unforgiving light of the sun crawling high on the sky.

She's slowly coming to her senses, trying to note everything about her situation that she can. Her head is  _ pounding _ , her muscles sore and heavy. She is laying in a queen-sized bed, under the softest covers, in the fancy-ass suite they were getting ready to go out in. She seems to be alone now - did she come home alone? Were Glimmer and Bow there? Did Scorpia ever meet with the group again? And where's…

_ Catra _ .

Adora pushes herself up. The sudden movement makes her stomach twist and turn, so she whimpers again.

She's wearing washed-up jeans, a sports bra, and a simple tank top - yesterday's clothes. That's a good sign. Catra is not here, neither clothed nor naked, and the bathroom door is wide open, so she couldn't hide in there either.

Good. Ugh, good God, that's a relief.

Adora buries her face in her palms, massaging her temples. She feels something cold on her skin. Something… strange.

She lowers her hands very, very slowly, blinking sullenly.

_ Oh. Oh no. _

_ No, no, no, no, no- _

That's - that's a ring. That's a ring right there.

That's a  _ ring _ .

" _ No _ ," Adora whines out loud, panic creeping in. She feels her lungs strain with ragged gasps, her hands shaking. "No, please no…"

She slams her ringless hand down to the bed, paper crumpling under her skin.

_ Hi, Adora _

_ Meet me at breakfast? _

_ \- Catra _

  
  


It takes Adora exactly twenty-four minutes to calm down, take a shower, calm down, wash her face and brush her teeth, calm down, change her clothes and lastly - try to calm down.

The cafeteria is loud. Too loud, actually. Adora feels her strength and confidence leave her bones with every careful step she takes.

She's looking around for a familiar face, and she finds it - not one but four, actually, Glimmer and Bow sharing a table with Scorpia and… yep. That's Catra, with the dark circles under her eyes, ruffled bed hair, wearing an oversized tee and…

A ring on her finger, too.

Adora is going to throw up right on this pretty red carpet.

She approaches the table very slowly, still feeling like she's making too much noise.

Catra looks up from her coffee like she’d sensed her coming, ears twitching. Their eyes meet, cold silence falling on the table like a heavy curtain.

"Hi," Adora says, raising a hand to wave like an idiot.

"...Hey," Catra replies, sounding just as strange.

That's a good start. Right?

"Can we. Can we talk?"

"Yeah." Catra stands up, pointing her chin towards the casino in the back. "Over there?"

"Okay."

Adora catches glances from everyone else, full of questions she knows she cannot answer. She turns on her heel with a weak  _ "we'll be back" _ and takes the lead to feel  _ some _ sort of control over this whole mess.

She stops by a slot machine, looking for some change in her pockets to do something with her hands while she mentally prepares herself for the most uncomfortable conversation of her entire life.

She pushes a coin into the slot and pulls the lever. Catra arrives too, leaning to the side of the machine, arms and ankles crossed. Her ears are drooped, tail sweeping the ground.

"So," Adora starts, her voice already breaking. She finds herself grinning from embarrassment. "It looks like I. And you. That we-"

"Yep. Apparently, we did."

"Yeah. We. We really did."

"Yeah."

Cherry, cherry, seven. The machine tingles again, ready for the next round.

Adora goes again.

"Do you remember… that?"

"No," Catra says, voice careful and raspy. "Do you?"

"No." Adora swallows. Her tongue is dry in her mouth like a piece of sponge. "The last thing I remember is leaving the bar with a bottle of wine."

"Yeah. I kinda remember that. Taking the bottle, at least." Catra pauses for a second. "Look, I, uh. Ugh. I'm trying to say this as nice as I can, but- okay, fuck it. I'm  _ really _ not ready for marriage-"

"Oh, you though -" Adora pulls the lever once more, gaping at Catra. "You thought that I- no. No, I didn't want this."

"Okay, good," Catra sighs, flashing a crooked grin. Her shoulders ease, coming down from the line of her jaw. "With all the proposing-to-my-girlfriend-of-six-months thing, you kinda seemed like… the type."

Adora is starting to switch from shy to confused to frustrated. What the hell is Catra getting at?

"The  _ type _ ?" She asks, sounding frantic now.

"Don't take this the wrong way, you're just - you seemed desperate enough."

"I'm not  _ desperate _ ," Adora snaps, trying to get the next coin to its place. She succeeds at the third try; she also finds the lever to pull, flinging her arm blindly while she leans closer to Catra’s face. "You really think I wanted to give my grandma's ring to a  _ stranger _ ? That wasn't meant for a girl who scams everyone she meets and who's only nice to people she wants to sleep with."

"I didn't want to sleep with you, idiot!"

Adora barks a laugh.

"Oh yeah? You were all over me, promising me ' _ a night I'll never forget _ '. What was I supposed to think?"

"Thinking is definitely not your strong suit, is it?"

"Wow, okay, listen-"

"No, you listen,  _ Princess _ . You don't get to talk to me like that just because you literally married the first random chick after a breakup because you can't fucking fathom the thought of being alone for one fucking second-"

"Like you're such a great catch," Adora cuts in, desperately trying to find some more loose change in her pockets. Catra growls, annoyed, and pushes a cent into the machine, getting a killer glare instead of  _ thanks _ . "Someone with no drive, no respect for anything and anyone, only going after what she wants, whatever it takes?" Adora pulls the lever so hard it almost breaks off. She blows a loose strand of hair out of her face. "Someone who's such a brat her own mother fired her?"

Catra's tail bristles twice its size, her eyes cutting cold and distant.

The slot machine is pinging and jingling.

"You don't know what the fuck you're talking about," Catra says, threateningly cold and collected. "You don't know shit about me, you don't fucking- you don't have the right to say shit like that!" She's yelling now, drawing glances.

"People are staring," Adora tries.

"I don't care!" Catra pushes herself away from the machine, turning on her heel to storm off. "Have a good fucking life, Adora. I don't want to be a part of it for one second."

As Catra gets to leave, the machine flares up bright. They both whip their heads back to the panel, lighting up with three sevens; the images fold and twist into one word over and over again.

_ Jackpot _ .

Adora forgets everything. Her anger, her pride, her shitty life - she hit the jackpot. She really did. She gasps for air and grabs the machine for balance, barely registering people clapping and whistling, the machine's speakers yelling. The ruckus, like a dagger, stabs into her throbbing head, but she doesn't care.

"I'm rich," she mumbles, a shaky laugh escaping her lips. She squeezes her eyes shut, her knees feel empty. "Oh my God, I'm rich-"

And then, a hand in her ponytail, combing through the tufts.

"Nu-uh, Princess," a voice purrs dangerously, and Adora turns her head right as Catra's hand comes to her vision, Adora's hair curled around her finger with the ring. " _ We're _ rich."

Adora feels blood rushing out of her face, jaw popping open.

_ Shit-- _

"Aww, what's the matter? Did you forget about" Catra leans closer, fingers tugging on her hair now, _"_ _ your own wife ?" _

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there ♡ If you're new around here, welcome - if you're not, hello, hi, how's it going how are the kids yes I started another AU I'm SORRY  
> I haven't forgotten about Break A Leg, don't worry. I do hope you will enjoy this one, too. x
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, as always!  
> Love you all, stay safe, and cool, and come hang out with me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/dandyvela) (if you're over 18 and have your age visible on your profile, PLEASE I draw so much smut) it's a fun time and I love talking to you. ♡
> 
> See you next time.


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